Voters in the small Missouri city of Festus have removed four incumbent city council members from office following growing controversy surrounding approval of a proposed $6 billion data center development.
The election result in the St. Louis suburb came just days after the city council approved a development agreement for a large hyperscale data center project planned on roughly 360 acres on the city’s southwest side.
According to reporting by Politico and local Missouri media, all four incumbents seeking reelection were defeated after residents expressed frustration over the handling of the project, particularly concerns about transparency, rezoning, infrastructure impacts, and communication with the public.
Rick Belleville, who defeated incumbent Jim Tinnin in one of the council races, told Politico: “It’s really the way the deal was handled that led to this kind of uprising.”
Belleville added: “I ran because I thought the city was not listening to people.”
The proposed development is being pursued by CRG, part of Chicago-based construction and real estate firm Clayco. The operator of the planned data center has not yet been publicly identified.
Data centers have become increasingly controversial across the United States as demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure accelerates. Large-scale facilities can require enormous amounts of electricity and water while generating concerns about land use, noise, and impacts on nearby neighborhoods.
The Festus dispute reflects a wider national backlash against hyperscale data center projects. Similar opposition campaigns have emerged in states including Virginia, Wisconsin, and Georgia, where residents have raised questions about environmental impacts and local oversight.
Opponents in Festus have also filed a lawsuit challenging the rezoning approval and development agreement, alleging insufficient public disclosure and improper communications surrounding the project.
Local activist Lori Merriman, who helped organize grassroots opposition group Wake Up JeffCo, told Politico: “We’ve been called the minority but look at the polls. We had record turnout, and the incumbents were ousted by landslide margins.”
The newly elected council members are expected to take office this week as debate over the future of the project continues.
The story was originally reported by Politico, with additional background from local government records and public statements.
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